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NEWS: InsiteVR supports collaborative meetings in VR

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Published: 23 November 2017

New AEC–focused tool works with Revit and SketchUp and features collaborative markups and built-in voice

InsiteVR Meetings is a new AEC-focused collaborative tool for reviewing models in virtual reality (VR). The software works with Revit and SketchUp models, but also supports other CAD software through FBX and OBJ. Features include built-in voice, collaborative markups and synchronised cloud models.

In a collaborative session, one person is always designated the responsibility of presenter. He /she can command all participants to go to a specific location in the model, can mute others, and can control a scale version of the model for others to understand the big picture.

All participants have freedom to explore the model, but when the presenter needs them all to see something he/she has the power to force everyone there. According to the developers, this keeps meetings moving forward and from devolving into virtual games of hide and seek.

The software works with Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, GearVR as well as a traditional desktop.

InsiteVR’s Revit add-in was recently updated to include a ‘fast preview’. According to the developers, Revit users can go from model to viewing in VR within a few seconds, by processing the model first on their own PC before it’s uploaded to InsiteVR.

InsiteVR’s Daniel Ko says this allows you to catch last minute changes and iterate even more quickly before publishing your model to the cloud for collaboration.